1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to boot bindings, and more specifically to boot bindings for snowboards.
2. Background Information
Snowboarding requires the user to stand with both feet on the snowboard. Bindings on the snowboard secure the user's boots to the snowboard so that the user can adequately maneuver the snowboard. When riding the snowboard, the user's boots are bound such that they both point primarily toward one side of the snowboard. Unfortunately, when the user is on a flat area such as the path to a ski lift, it is difficult to create any forward movement because both of the user's boots are bound to the snowboard and poles are not used in snowboarding, unlike skiing. Thus, the user must release the back boot from its binding and push forward in the same way a skateboarder uses a free foot to achieve forward movement. The problem with this situation is that the user's front boot is still bound to the snowboard at an awkward angle. That is, the longitudinal axis of the user's front boot is substantially non-parallel to the longitudinal axis of the snowboard. Thus, as the user pushes the snowboard in a forward direction with the back boot, the user's front boot is pointing in a direction that is away from the movement of the snowboard.
Furthermore, when the user is sitting on a ski lift, the front boot is still bound to the snowboard while the back boot is free, causing one of the user's legs to twist at an uncomfortable angle as it dangles in the air. If two users are sitting next to each other on the ski lift, and they use opposite boots as their front boot, the twisting of their legs due to their respective bindings can cause their snowboards to collide with each other. This is not only irritating, but also potentially dangerous. Getting off a ski lift is also potentially troublesome because the angle at which the user's front boot is bound to the snowboard can make it difficult for the user to position the snowboard perpendicularly to the ski lift chair. If the snowboard is not positioned perpendicularly to the ski lift chair as the snowboard hits the ground, the user could veer off to one side and run into the person who had been sharing the ski lift.
The above mentioned problems affect all snowboard users, but beginning snowboard users are especially affected by such problems because they are unaccustomed to having their leg twisted at an awkward angle. When this awkwardness is coupled with the beginning snowboard user's overall inexperience with maneuvering and controlling a snowboard, the beginning snowboard user can be especially at risk to suffer an injury.
Thus, what is needed is a boot binding that is easily and quickly rotatable to and from different positions, thereby allowing the user to select a comfortable, safe and useful angle for the user's boot and leg.